Elliotte Friedman is reporting that William Nylander’s extension could be done as early as this Monday. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been working hard to secure a long-term extension with the forward and Friedman says the deal could come in at around $11.5 million pers season on an eight-year deal. If accurate, this is huge news for the Leafs and a huge update for fans. It’s also a huge contract for Nylander.
Friedman said this will be an obvious debate, but the Leafs wanted the player for eight years. This was what it was going to take. He added the Leafs will sign the deal now and deal with the fallout later.
As Luke Fox of Sportsnet points out , with that figure, Nylander would secure the second-highest Average Annual Value (AAV) among wingers, positioning him just beneath Artemi Panarin ($11.64 million) and ahead of David Pastrnak ($11.25 million). Not that long ago, it was believed the Leafs might have been able to get this done for around $10 million per season. That’s clearly no longer the case. With a huge season ongoing, Nylander elevated his status and his value, forcing GM Brad Treliving’s hand.
If accurate, Nylander’s contract extension at $11.5 million per year for eight years amounts to a total of $92 million. Should he not sign it and want to test the market, to match this total value, any team considering a contract would need to offer him $13.1 million over seven years. That deal would make him the second-highest-paid player in hockey. It’s unlikely a team would go there.
While there’s appreciation for Nylander’s skills, signing for the proposed $11.5 million over eight years will potentially put significant financial strain on the Toronto Maple Leafs, salary cap situation.
The Maple Leafs Dominos From the Nylander Deal Will Fall During the Offseason
Moving forward, it is likely that one or more of the current pending UFAs on the roster won’t be back as a result.
There will be fans that absolutely argue this is an overpay. Nylander is a dynamic player and may turn out to be worth this, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that waiting to get this deal done likely added another $2 million per season to his contract for the Leafs. That money will have to come at the expense of something else.